TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Amelia Ferrell Knisely on Jan 13, 2016

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports the trial date for state Rep. Joe Armstrong, who is facing charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, has been pushed to Aug. 2 after defense attorney Gregory P. Isaacs said he needed more time to prepare. Isaacs is also asking that prosecutors remove any language that indicates Armstrong is a lawmaker or mentions his role in increasing the price of cigarette tax stamps. Armstrong, D-Knoxville, is accused of lying on tax forms in connection with a profit he received from the hike. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Atchley responded, "In this particular instance, the United States intends to prove Armstrong was motivated from the very start to hide this money and knew from the very start he had to hide this money.”